Refining the Mountains and Rivers

And this was the scary part about the Heroic Spirit Possession. Once possessed, the truth would be revealed, and one’s innocence could be proved without a doubt.

Li Zhouyi was in a cold sweat and his face was pale. Even if he was a prince and had been educated by elites since he was a child, he found it hard to calm down right now.

The reason was extremely simple. If something happened to Qin Yu, his future would be ruined too!

The Eldest Princess’ eyes were calm but had coldness within.

The plan was going smoothly. As long as Ning Qin died today, all her troubles would go away as well.

And from today onwards, she would have closer relations with the two Ye families because of her favor.

This would undoubtedly increase the possibility of her becoming the Desolate King in the future.

Ye Bohu’s expression was stern. He was here today just to witness this scene.

The murderer who killed his beloved son was going to suffer the pain of being possessed by a wraith.

Old Family Head frowned slightly, and his eyes showed a heavy expression. If Ye Qin’s death was really related to the Darkness Ruler, and the Darkness Ruler was now favored by His Majesty and was going to be deployed in the military…he could not help but think of the underlying meaning behind His Majesty’s actions.

Everyone here had their own thoughts about this whole situation as their eyes fell on Qin Yu.

His life and death was involved with too many things. If they were not careful, it would cause huge turmoil.

It seemed like…everyone was indeed putting a lot of thought into this!

Yet, Qin Yu was calm. Everyone felt that it was not an act, and they believed they would not be wrong about this.

He was really calm, as if he had not been affected by the Heroic Spirit Possession Test.

This also meant that Ye Qin’s heroic spirit did not affect him after entering his body.

It was clear what this meant to the audience.

The face of the Eldest Princess changed slightly, and she could no longer maintain her calmness. She turned her head to look at Qin Yu, and there was shock in her eyes.

The plan has been successful, but why is nothing happening? This is impossible!

Ye Bohu tightened his hands around the handles of his wooden chair. Immediately, marks appeared on the surface.

Looking at the Eldest Princess, his gaze became increasingly cold.

Women always have some tricks up their sleeves, but when it comes to the critical moments, they are unreliable.

Hu –

Li Zhouyi let out a breath, as if he finally managed to come up for air. He could not hide the ecstasy he was feeling.

If Qin Yu was fine, it meant that he would not be implicated. It was simple logic.

The Old Family Head’s eyes shone as he suddenly stood up and bowed, “Now, I invite the imperial army’s spirit!”

Roar –

A roar suddenly exploded in everyone’s ears.

A black dragon illusion appeared above the Ye Family, circling in the sky with its sharp teeth and claws visible, majestic and monstrous.

This black dragon was the embodiment of the empire’s military, symbolizing endless power.

At this moment, it swooped down and landed on top of Qin Yu and started to roar continuously.

Ye Qin’s heroic spirit was not extinguished. After being summoned, it integrated with the black dragon, and a relationship had been established between the two.

The roar of the black dragon could remove all shackles. If there was something wrong with Ye Qin’s heroic spirit, it could be detected.

However, Qin Yu was still calm, except that he was hit by the black dragon’s aura. His robes fluttered and his face was pale, but he kept his composure.

The Old Family Head frowned, flicked his sleeves, and ordered the black dragon illusion to retreat. He then announced, “Ye Qin’s death has nothing to do with Ning Qin.”

This was the final nail in the coffin.

Qin Yu bowed and said, “Thank you for clearing my name!”

Whoosh –

Ye Qin’s heroic spirit (or more precisely, his wraith) left Qin Yu’s body. After breaking away, it started to howl again.

Qin Yu really had personally felt the aura of someone who had died wrongfully; it filled his heart with strong thoughts of revenge and killing intent.

But just now, the Old Family Head personally announced that his death had nothing to do with Qin Yu…this scene made people feel weird.

Some eyes began to look at the Eldest Princess and Ye Bohu.

After all, the news that circulated in the capital city was not a secret to them.

At this moment, Qin Yu suddenly said, “Ye Qin’s heroic spirit cannot be extinguished, but it would not go mad for no reason. There must be something shady about this. Old Family Head, please investigate this matter thoroughly to avoid being used by someone else.”

These words described everyone’s thoughts and he just said it directly.

Sss –

Everyone gasped, thinking that this Darkness Ruler indeed had huge guts.

Even though he did not explicitly say who would be taking advantage of the Old Family Head, everyone was not stupid and knew who he was referring to.

It was not the Eldest Princess. Even though she had a chance of inheriting the throne, there were many other variables to consider.

But as for someone else…

Tsk tsk, Ye Bohu’s domineering and tough attitude was well-known throughout the capital city; no one dared to provoke him!

At this moment, Qin Yu’s heart was calm.

No matter what the reason was, the Later Ye Family was already convinced that Ye Wangu had died at Ye Bohu’s hands.

The two sides were arch enemies, and there was no possibility of the enmity ever being resolved.

With that being the case, why would Qin Yu have any more scruples?

This move he made was to show the Desolate King that…even though he too had barbarian blood, he would not get close to the Later Ye Family.

At the same time, he placed another wedge between the two major military families.

Even though the two Ye families were not compatible at all, a conflict was way more effective at deepening the hatred between them. It would be something that His Majesty would like to see.

Beside the altar, a priest who was presiding over the Heroic Spirit Possession Test suddenly fell to the ground and died.

Black-colored blood started to flow from his seven orifices, giving off a stench.

A general from the Ye Family stepped forward to examine the body. His face was ugly as he said, “It’s a poisonous worm that came from the Barbarian Clan!”

The Old Family Head shouted, “The barbarians have sinister intentions! They are trying to undermine the stability of the imperial military. I hereby order all nine divisions of the military to behead the barbarians!”

The poisonous worm showed the true nature of the matter. Today’s incidents were all instigated by the barbarians.

After he finished speaking, the Old Family Head looked at Ye Bohu with a calm expression, “Bohu, the Possession Test is over. I still have some other things to attend to, so I won’t send you off.”

Ye Bohu stood up and cupped his hands respectfully. “I’ll take my leave now.”

Taking huge steps, he quickly left.

The discord between the two military families has finally reared its ugly head.

……

The Imperial Palace.

Behind the bead curtains, the Desolate King looked at the lantern that was on his table. As the flames danced around in the lantern, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Very good. This chess piece did not disappoint him after all.

The Spirit Summoning Ceremony seemed simple on the surface, but it concerned one’s life and death.

Even though Ning Qin borrowed the power of the lantern, it was the wisdom that he showed that made the Desolate King satisfied.

The truth about Ye Qin’s death was not important at all.

Of course, he chose Qin Yu to be his chess piece because he had a perfect identity that could be manipulated to his advantage.

If he used him well, the barbarians could be destroyed in the future. Perhaps, this person was the key to this opportunity!

“Issue an imperial decree!”

……

Zhou Chengtian smiled; he was in a very good mood. Ning Qin had successfully passed the imperial examination, which meant that his plan was going smoothly.

Even though Ning Qin joined the army in order to strengthen the Royal Family’s power, the matter was in his control, and he could benefit from it.

As a branch of the Royal Family, he had no desire to inherit the throne, but it was still necessary to stabilize his position, power and wealth.

“Let’s go to the Ye Family’s house,” he ordered as the carriage took off.

He glanced at the imperial decree that was in front of him.

Today, he was going to personally announce the decree. It was his way of telling Ning Qin to pick his position carefully.

The Royal Family could help him move up the ranks and gain power, but they also needed his absolute loyalty.

Otherwise, they could also put him down and make him lose everything.

And it would not be difficult to accomplish this. The jade slip beside the imperial decree could do it easily.

……

The turmoil of Ye Qin’s Spirit Summoning Ceremony ended with the Old Family Head’s conclusion that Qin Yu was not involved with Ye Qin’s death. However, everyone still had doubts in their hearts.

The banquet had already been arranged. Although no one was in the right mind to enjoy themselves, they still had to force themselves to attend.

On the other hand, Li Zhouyi was in a very good mood. Even though it was not the right occasion to do so, he pulled Qin Yu over for a few drinks.

Furthermore, he did not have to hide his emotions too much.

He was a prince, and was in the line of succession to the throne. He managed to suppress the Eldest Princess today, which was bound to greatly reduce her momentum.

That, in turn, would make Li Zhouyi’s reputation better.

Of course he was going to rejoice!

“The imperial decree is here!”

The faces of the people in the hall changed slightly and they quickly got up to their feet to welcome the decree.

Lord Chengtian looked solemn as his eyes swept over everyone. “Where is Ning Qin?”

Qin Yu stepped forward and said, “Ning Qin, greets Lord Chengtian!”

Zhou Chengtian smiled and held out the scroll, “Ning Qin, receive the decree!”

Qin Yu bowed respectfully.

“Ning Qin has made great contributions to the country in the Western Barbarian Land. I hereby declare that he is now known as ‘General Jinwu’, and he will guard the West Border.”

The fewer words were being said, the more stories would spread.

This was true anywhere in the world.

The people in the hall looked at Qin Yu differently now, showing envy.

His Majesty was using this method to express his dissatisfaction with the Ye Family, and also to show how much he valued Qin Yu.

General Jinwu…this was one of the commanders of the imperial palace guards. Even though it was just a title and he had no solid power yet, it signified His Majesty’s trust in him.

He had been ordered to guard the West Border. This meant that in the future, he would be bound to have a place in the five frontier troops at the West Border.

This also meant that, with this imperial decree, Qin Yu has risen to become a shining star in the West Desolate’s imperial military force.

This was the reward he got for passing His Majesty’s test.

If the Eldest Princess and the Later Ye Family did not take any action, Qin Yu could still have entered the military, but he definitely would not have the status he had today.

Li Zhouyi was ecstatic and laughed loudly, “Ning Qin, aren’t you going to thank His Majesty?”

This time, he had benefited a lot.

Qin Yu had joined the West Border Guards with his new identity as General Jinwu, which meant that Li Zhouyi now had his own spokesperson in the military.

If he made good use of this, his power would only snowball from here on out.

There was also one more thing…

His Majesty clearly knew about the relationship between the Darkness Ruler and himself, yet he still gave such a huge reward to Qin Yu and even elevated his status. Could it mean something else?

Thinking of this, Li Zhouyi became more excited.

Qin Yu received the decree and said, “Thank you, Lord Chengtian!”

Zhou Chengtian looked at Li Zhouyi who was smiling very brightly, and sneered in his heart.

This Sixth Prince is rejoicing too early. Perhaps on the surface, Ning Qin was indeed his trusted confidant.

But after today, the Darkness Ruler was going to have a new master.

When the imperial decree came, everyone had to kneel to greet it. However, the Old Family Head had been granted special permission to not have to kneel.

Therefore, he waited outside the hall. Only after the imperial decree had been announced did he come in. He smiled and said, “Lord Chengtian, long time no see.”

He then turned and said, “General Ning Qin, you are highly valued by His Majesty. In the future, you must do your best and live up to the king’s favor!”

With his status, since Qin Yu had just entered the military, he was indeed qualified to say such a thing.

In fact, this showed that he agreed with the king’s arrangement.

Zhou Chengtian smiled and returned the greeting, “Greetings to Old Family Head. I still have some things to tell General Ning Qin; please arrange a quiet room for us to talk.”

The Old Family Head simply replied, “Okay.”

After a while, Lord Chengtian and Qin Yu both entered the quiet room. Apart from them, the Old Family Head was present too.

Lord Chengtian took out a ball and after touching it lightly to activate it, countless inscriptions immediately shot out and were carved into the void.

Hum –

A powerful confinement blocked the outside world from listening in.

“Ning Qin, I have a jade slip with me; please take a look at it first.”

Qin Yu took the jade slip with both hands and his divine sense penetrated into it. It contained a scene of his aura exploding, with an Abyssal Titan emerging on top of his head.

His heart was calm, but on the surface he was fearful. His face turned pale and there were fine beads of sweat all over his forehead.

Putting down the jade slip, he trembled as he said, “Lord Chengtian…this…”

The Old Family Head sat at the side. He had already seen the contents of the jade slip in advance.

So, this was the true meaning behind His Majesty’s actions.

Another Later Ye Family?

As the top commander of the empire’s military, Ye Taidou naturally had the right to know all of the empire’s secrets. Today, the purpose of announcing the imperial decree at the Ye Family’s residence was to show respect towards the Old Family Head.

Even His Majesty had to show respect towards this Old Family Head who had made great military achievements.

Zhou Chengtian said, “Ning Qin, you have barbarian blood in your veins. Because of this, you were recognized by the Barbarian Clan treasure and managed to return from the Barbarian King’s tomb.”

Suddenly, his tone changed. It was cold and stern. “With the hatred between the West Desolate and the West Barbarians, I should’ve executed you the moment I learned about this. But His Majesty recognizes your deeds and sincerity towards the West Desolate, which is why he gave you another chance.”

What came next was purely ‘coercion and inducement’.

In simple terms, there were great benefits to being obedient, and the Later Ye Family was a great example to show the benefits of being loyal to the West Desolate.

If he dared to betray the empire, there were a hundred ways to make Qin Yu’s life worse than death.

Zhou Chengtian and Ye Taidou sang in harmony, using skillful methods to coerce Qin Yu into obeying.

It was a pity that this performance was all in vain…because Qin Yu was already going to agree in the first place.

Everything that happened today was already a part of his plan; of course he was going to go along with it.

So, Qin Yu’s face paled even more and he obeyed them.

Lord Chengtian smiled, and there was a trace of joy in his eyes…his plan succeeded!